TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- One of the most physically impressive players at his position, Cyrus Kouandjio will need to wow NFL personnel with more than just his times and measurements at this weekend's Combine.

That's the best way the former Alabama offensive tackle can improve his projected landing spot in May's NFL Draft, NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock said on a Tuesday conference call.

Kouandjio, the 6-foot-6, 310-pound two-year starter at Alabama, is projected by most analysts to land in the second half of the first round. Both Mayock and ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. rank Kouandjio fifth among tackles, trailing the likes of Texas A&M's Jake Matthews, Auburn's Greg Robinson, Michigan's Taylor Lewan and Notre Dame's Zack Martin.

Only Robinson, who also left after three years, has less experience than Kouandjio.

"When you come out as a junior and there's not as much known about you, I think part of the process that's most important is after all the measurables are over with, you start to sit down with offensive line coaches and you get an opportunity to get a door closed," Mayock said. "They're going to find out how much you know about the game, how quickly you can learn, what are you?

"For Kouandjio, those are all important questions. They don't know as much about him."

On a similar conference call last year, Mayock pegged Kouandjio as a future first-round pick. His junior season, though, had far more ups and downs than a stellar sophomore campaign, as he noticeably struggled in Alabama's season opener against Virginia Tech and the final game of his Crimson Tide career against Oklahoma.

Kouandjio said he seriously considered returning to Alabama, and Kiper Jr. has suggested that he could have been a top-10 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft if he did.

"It's like poison in my veins to know I could finish off the year better and I felt as if we had unfinished business," Kouandjio said in January. "I felt as if we needed to reclaim order in the SEC, but I had to use my logic and my reason."

The next three months will be pivotal in determining where Kouandjio ultimately lands. Everything that occurs at the Combine -- not just the flexing, running and lifting -- will serve as the first big step.

"There were inconsistencies in his game this year. He's a talented kid but he was up and down," Mayock said. "That last game against Oklahoma was a pretty bad game for the entire team, him included.

"At the Combine, getting comfortable with him, his intelligence, what kind of kid he is, I think they're all important things going forward."